The proposed research is a feasibility study of applying small angle neutron scattering (SANS) as a method for determining detailed conformational features of glycoproteins. The test material will be purified, well-characterized canine tracheal mucus. By employing the appropriate D2O/H2O ratio in aqueous solutions of the glycoprotein, it is, in principle, possible to render either the protein or the polysaccharide moiety "invisible" to neutrons, and thus to look at the detailed conformation (or shape) of the other. Additional scattering measurements over a range of D2O/H2O ratios can then, in principle, be used to further define the conformation of the entire glycoprotein molecule including the spacial relationships between the protein and polysaccharide moieties. Detailed knowledge of the conformation of members of this class of macromolecules is required to further understand their biomedical function. For example, the rheolocial behavior of mucus is effected dramatically by the conformational details of its glycoprotein, and it is the rheological behavior which is one of the critical properties associated with cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchitis. If the proposed research confirms the power of the SANS technique in conformation analysis of glycoproteins, this principal investigator, whose experience is primarily in fields other than biomedical research, will be anxious to pursue this subject as a new area of research.